North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is a state in western Germany, with Dusseldorf serving as the capital. Other major cities in the state are Cologne, Dortmund, and Essen, and the state includes the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, the largest on the European continent. The region was formed in 1946 from North Rhine and Westphalia, former provinces of Prussia, as well as the Free State of Lippe. In 2015, North Rhine-Westphalia had a population of 17,865,516 people.